Anime Review: Angel Beats

Hello everyone! Today I will be reviewing one of the best anime out there that really affected me: Angel Beats

Before I begin let me say 2 words about why I began to watch this anime:
   1- The original idea (the plot take place in the after life)
   2- The beautiful art/animation
   3- The presence of guitar

With this being said I will begin the review (you can read relaxed, I won't be spoiling the story)

Story:

The story takes place in school acting as a limbo for those who died. People who are sent there are those with lingering attachment to life and are rebelling against there past; In other words people with a hard childhood (sickness, paralysis, un-achieved goals etc...).
Note that people who committed suicide are not allowed to go there and people there can still feel pain, sadness and can "die" (they will awaken sometimes later with no injuries)
The story begins with Otonashi Yuzuru, a boy who awaken there not remembering anything about his life.

Upon awakening he is approached by an armed girl: Yuri Nakamura

Yuri tells him that she is a member of the Afterlife Battlefront (Shinda Sekai Sensen or SSS), an organization she founded and leads against the oppressing God and his messenger Tenshi (Angel in Japanese).

Tenshi

There is a rock band called Girls Dead Monster that act as a diversion for the SSS missions and a guild that mass produces weapons.

The rest of the afterlife school is populated by a large number of "normal" students and teachers Yuri deems "non-player characters" (NPCs) as they are not human, but look and act the part.

Also if they just do like everybody (go to class and everything) they will be obliterated and reincarnated as a sea barnacle (or so they say)

Now I won't say anymore to avoid spoilers, I will just say that the story is really not what you might believe, things are very complicated. We have some childish humor but we also have this dark atmosphere when some of the SSS member's past is revealed. Each one has a unique story, torturous, depressing tale. 

The ending will leave you in tears

(image pretty much accurate of how I felt at the ending)

Characters:

As I mentioned before the story follow mostly Yuzuru and the SSS in their fight against Tenshi. Though we might notice that not all the character's past is covered (the Manga and the Light Novel do)
Each of them also have a special way to make you laugh as they are funny as hell.

Sound:

Nothing to say, the music is awesome, perfect, you will never forget it.

Opening theme "My soul"

"My song" One of the most emotional

And the ending theme which is relaxing after an action episode

Also the music really fits the situations, happy songs in happy moments, sad songs in sad moments.

Animation:

The animation in this series is quite detailed and beautiful. The school campus looks good and the scenery is close to flawless. The character designs are wide and different for every character. It doesn’t rely on sex-appeal or moe characters, which is refreshing. The amount of detail put in the weapons and instruments is impressive. If you’re knowledgeable with these kinds of things, you can clearly see what model, brand and such the different items are. The violence is dramatic, but not «gory» or noticeably special.

The action scenes does not disappoint as well. It gets your blood pumping, and that’s all it takes for a viewer to want to see more.

The series has its own band called «Girls Dead Monster». The amount of detail put into their performances is incredible. If you watch closely, you can see that the guitarist holds the correct chords, the drummer hits the right drums and the bassist plays as if it was a real performance. Now THAT is amazing since anime often just lets the guitarists hand slide up and down the neck of the guitar and so forth.

Difference with the Manga:

The manga is still ongoing, and it is wider since it covers more the SSS's members story.

Conclusion:

Overall, this anime is one for all tastes, and it will have you crying and laughing at the same time. You will start thinking about your own life in comparison to the pasts of the members of the Battlefront and get caught in deep thought. It is visual and musical brilliance, and I would recommend seeing this if you want a mix of everything. It did turn into one of my favorites the moment I finished it, and the same may happen to you.

Final Grade: 9.8/10 MUST WATCH!